Indian islands, a fmail number of these people are produced. They are called Albinos by the Portuguese, and Kackerlakes by the Dutch. This race of men is not indeed permanent; but it is fufficient to show, that mere colour is by no means the characteristic of a certain fpecies of mankind. The difference of colour in thefe individuals is undoubtedly owing to a natural caufe. To conftitute, then, a race of men of this colour, it would only be necessary that this caufe, which at prefent is merely accidental, fhould become permanent, and we cannot know but may be fo in fome parts of the world. it If a difference in colour is no characteristic of a different fpecies of mankind, much lefs can a difference in ftature be thought fo.-In the fouthern parts of America, there are faid to be a race of men exceeding the common fize in height and ftrength. This account, however, is doubted of by fome: but be that as it will, it is certain that the Efquimaux are as much under the common fize, as the Patagonians are faid to be above it. Nevertheless we are not to imagine, that either of thefe are fpecific differences; feeing the Laplanders and Hungarians are both of the fame fpecies, and yet the former are generally almost a foot fhorter than the latter; and if a difference of climate, or other accidental causes, can make the people of one country a foot fhorter than the common fize of mankind, undoubtedly accidental caufes of a contrary nature may make thofe of another country a foot taller than other men. Though the fun has undoubtedly a fhare in the production of the fwarthy colour of thofe nations which are moft expofed to his influence; yet the manner of living to which people are accustomed, their victuals, their employment, &c. muft contribute very much to a difference of complexion. There are fome kinds of colouring roots, which, if mixed with the food of certain animals, will tinge even their bones of a yellow colour. It cannot be thought any great degree of credulity to infer from this, that if these roots were mixed with the food of a white man, they might, without a miracle, tinge his skin of a yellow colour. If a man and woman were both to use food of this kind for a length of time, till they became as it were radically dyed, it is impoffible, without the intervention of Divine power, or of fome extraordinary natural caufe, but their children must be of the fame colour; and was the fame kind of food to be continued for several generations, it is more than probable that this colour might refift the continued use of any kind of food whatever. Of this indeed we have no examples, but we have an example of changes much more wonderful. It is allowed on all hands, that it is more eafy to work a change upon the body of a man, or any other . animal, than upon his mind. A man that is naturally cholerie may indeed learn to prevent the bad effects of his paffion by reason, but the paffion itself will remain as immutable as his colour. But to reafon in a manner fimilar to Lord Kames; though a man should be naturally choleric, or fubject to any other paffion, why should his children be fo? -This way of reasoning, however plaufible, is by no means conclufive, as will appear from the following paffage in Mr. Forfter's Voyage. June 9th. "The officers who could not yet relish their falt provifions after the refreshments of New Zealand, had ordered their black dog, mentioned p. 135, to be killed: this day, therefore, we dined for the first time on a leg of it roafted; which tafted fo exactly like mutton, that it was abfolutely undiftinguishable. In our cold countries, where animal food is fo much used, and where to be carnivorous perhaps lies in the nature of men, or is indifpenfably neceffary to the prefervation of their health and ftrength, it is ftrange that there fhould exift a Jewish averfion to dogs-flefh, when hogs, the most uncleanly of all animals, are eaten without fcruple. Nature feems exprefsly to have intended them for this ufe, by making their offspring fo very numerous, and their increafe fo quick and frequent. It may be objected, that the exalted degree of inftinct which we obferve in our dogs, infpires us with great unwillingness to kill and eat them. But it is owing to the time we fpend on the education of dogs, that they acquire those eminent qualities which attach them fo much to us. The natural qualities of our dogs may receive a wonderful improvement; but education must give its affiftance, without which the human mind itself, though capable of an immenfe expanfion, remains in a very contracted ftate. In New Zealand, and (according to former accounts of voyages) in the tropical ifles of the South Sea, the dogs are the most stupid, dull animals imaginable, and do not seem to have the least advantage in point of fagacity over our fheep, which are commonly made the emblems of fillinefs. In the former country they are fed upon fish, in the latter on vegetables, and both these diets may have ferved to alter their difpofition. Education may perhaps likewife graft new instincts: the New Zealand dogs are fed on the remains of their master's meals; they eat the bones of other dogs; and the puppies become true cannibals from their birth. We had a young New Zealand puppy on board, which had certainly had no opportunity of tafting any thing but the mother's milk before we purchased it however, it eagerly devoured a portion of the flesh and bones of the dog on which we dined to-day; while feveral others of the European breed taken on board at the Cape, turned from it without touching it. On the fourth of Auguft, a young bitch, of the terrier breed, taken on upon on board at the Cape of Good Hope, and covered by a spaniel, brought ten young ones, one of which was dead. The New Zealand dog men tioned above, which devoured the bones of the roafted dog, now fell the dead puppy, and eat of it with a ravenous appetite. This is a proof how far education may go in producing and propagating new inftincts in animals. European dogs are never fed on the meat of their own fpecies, but rather seem to abhor it. The New Zealand dogs, in all likelihood, are trained up from their earliest age to eat the remains. of their mafter's meals: they are therefore used to feed upon fish, their own species, and perhaps human flesh; and what was only owing to habit at first, may become instinct by length of time. This was remarkable in our cannibal dog; for he came on board fo young, that he could not have been weaned long enough to have acquired a habit of devouring his own fpecies, and much lefs of eating human flesh; however, one of our feamen having cut his finger, held it out to the dog, who fell to greedily, licked it, and then began to bite it." From this account it appears, that even the instincts of animals are not unchangeable by natural causes; and if these causes are powerful enough to change the difpofitions of fucceeding generations, much more may we fuppofe them capable of making any poffible alteration in the external appearance. We are not here neceffitated to confine ourselves to obfervations made on brute animals. The Franks are an example of the production of one general character, formed by fome natural cause from a mixture of many different nations.—They were a motley multitude, confifting of various German nations dwelling beyond the Rhine: who, uniting in defence of their common liberty, took thence the name of Franks; the word frank fignifying in their language, as it ftill does in ours, free. Among them the following nations were mentioned, viz. the Actuarii, Chamavi, Bructeri, Salii, Frifii, Chaufi, Amswarii, and Catti. We cannot fuppofe one character to belong to so many different nations; yet it is certain, that the Franks were nationally characterized as treacherous; and fo deeply feems this quality to have been rooted in their nature, that their defcendants have not got quite free of it in 1500 years. It is in vain, then, to talk of different races of men, either from their colour, fize, or prevailing difpofitions, feeing we have undeniable proofs that all thefe may be changed, in the most remarkable manner, by natural causes, without any miraculous interpofition of the deity. THE FIRST PEOPLING OF AMERICA. The next queftion, then, which presents itself is, From what part of the Old World America has moft probably been peopled? Discoveries Discoveries long ago made inform us, that an intercourfe between the Old Continent and America might be carried on with facility from the north-weft extremities of Europe and the north-east boundaries of Afia. In the ninth century the Norwegians difcovered Greenland, and planted a colony there. The communication with that country was renewed in the last century by Moravian miffionaries, in order to propagate their doctrine in that bleak and uncultivated region. By them we are informed that the north-west coast of Greenland is feparated from America by a very narrow ftrait; that at the bottom of the bay it is highly probable that they are united; that the Efquimaux of America perfectly refemble the Greenlanders in their afpect, drefs, and mode of living; and that a Moravian miffionary, well acquainted with the language of Greenland, having vifited the country of the Efquimaux, found, to his aftonishment, that they spoke the fame language with the Greenlanders, and were in every refpect the fame people. The fame fpecies of animals, too, are found in the contiguous regions. The bear, the wolf, the fox, the hare, the deer, the roebuck, the elk, frequent the forefts of North America, as well as thofe in the north of Europe. Other discoveries have proved, that if the two continents of Asia and America be feparated at all, it is only by a narrow ftrait. From this part of the Old Continent, alfo, inhabitants may have paffed into the New; and the refemblance between the Indians of America and the eaftern inhabitants of Afia, would induce us to conjecture that they have a common origin. This is the opinion adopted by Dr. Robertson in his Hiftory of America, where we find it accompanied with the following narrative. "While those immense regions which stretched eastward from the river Oby to the fea of Kamtfchatka were unknown, or imperfectly explored, the north-east extremities of our hemifphere were supposed to be fo far diftant from any part of the New World, that it was not easy to conceive how any communication fhould have been carried on between them. But the Ruffians, having fubjected the western part of Siberia to their empire, gradually extended their knowledge of that vast country, by advancing towards the east into unknown provinces. These were difcovered by hunters in their excurfions after game, or by foldiers employed in levying the taxes; and the court of Moscow eftimated the importance of thofe countries only by the fmall addition which they made to its revenue. At length, Peter the Great afcended the Ruffian throne: His enlightened comprehenfive mind, intent upon every circumftance that could aggrandize his empire, or render his reign illustrious, difcerned confequences of thofe discoveries, which had escaped the ob No. III. fervation of his ignorant predeceffors. He perceived, that, in propor tion as the regions of Afia extended towards the east, they must approach nearer to America; that the communication between the two continents, which had long been fearched for in vain, would probably be found in this quarter; and that, by opening this intercourfe, fome part of the wealth and commerce of the western world might be made to flow into his dominions by a new channel. Such an object fuited a genius that delighted in grand schemes. Peter drew up inftructions with his own hand for profecuting this defign, and gave orders for carrying it into execution. "His fucceffors adopted his ideas, and purfued his plan. The officers whom the Ruffian court employed in this fervice, had to ftruggle with so many difficulties, that their progress was extremely flow. Encouraged by fome faint traditions among the people of Siberia concerning a fuccefsful voyage in the year 1648 round the north-eafl promontory of Afia, they attempted to follow the fame courfe. Veffels were fitted out, with this view, at different times, from the rivers Lena and Kolyma; but in a frozen ocean, which nature feems not to have deftined for navigation, they were expofed to many difafters, without being able to accomplish their purpose. No veffel fitted out by the Ruffian court ever doubled this formidable cape; we are indebted for what is known of thofe extreme regions of Afia, to the difcoveries made in excurfions by land. In all those provinces, an opinion prevails, that countries of great extent and fertility lie at no confiderable distance from their own coafts. Thefe the Ruffians imagined to be part of America; and feveral circumftances concurred not only in confirming them in this belief, but in perfuading them that fome portion of that continent could not be very remote. Trees of various kinds, unknown in thofe naked regions of Afia, are driven upon the coaft by an easterly wind. By the fame wind floating ice is brought thither in a few days; flights of birds arrive annually from the fame quarter; and a tradition obtains among the inhabitants, of an intercourse formerly carried on with fome countries fituated to the east. "After weighing all these particulars, and comparing the pofition of the countries in Afia which they had difcovered, with fuch parts in the north-west of America as were already known; the Ruffian court formed a plan, which would have hardly occurred to any nation lefs accustomed to engage in arduous undertakings and to contend with great difficulties. Orders were iffued to build two veffels at Ochotz, in the fea of Kamtschatka, to fail on a voyage of difcovery. Though that dreary uncultivated region furnished nothing that could be of ufe in conftructing them but fome larch-trees; though not only the iron, the cordage, the |